But why would it take 5 years to learn how to shake a mixture? Maybe they have slow learners at UJ. I am no academic but whenever UJ came up in conversation it was, oh that university. Maybe that is just small town mentality. A lot of people out here see Joburg as "Sodom and Gamorra".

Without seeing the actual textbooks, one can only guess. Looking at the curriculum there appears to be a number of subjects thrown into the mix that is probably scientifically legitimate. I don't expect any difference between, say, the anatomy or basic chemistry/physics that medical students and homeopaths must learn, so they can easily share a classroom.

And then of course a lot of time can be spent on memorising the purported theory behind homeopathy, in the same way you could spend several years learning the subtleties of theology or astrology.

As Mefiante pointed out, Joe public could well be more impressed by the quantity rather than the quality of a practitioner's studies. Maybe that is why some homeopaths so eagerly mention the number of years that they've spent obtaining their papers.